Russian citizen killed in Egypt shark attack in Red Sea

Adam Lucente

Jun 9, 2023

This picture shows an Oceanic Whitetip shark swimming in the blue near the Elphinstone reef dive site off the coast of Marsa Alam in the Egyptian Red Sea on October 9, 2018. (Photo by Andrea BERNARDI / AFP) (Photo credit should read ANDREA BERNARDI/AFP via Getty Images) — This picture shows an Oceanic Whitetip shark swimming in the blue near the Elphinstone reef dive site off the coast of Marsa Alam in the Egyptian Red Sea on Oct. 9, 2018. — ANDREA BERNARDI/AFP via Getty Images

A Russian citizen was killed in a shark attack in Egypt on Thursday, leading to mixed reactions on social media amid anti-Russia sentiment because of the war in Ukraine.

Egypt’s Ministry of Environment said that a beachgoer was killed by a tiger shark in the resort city of Hurghada on the Red Sea. Russia’s official TASS news agency identified the victim on Thursday as Russian citizen V. Yu. Popov, 24 years old. The victim was a permanent resident in Egypt and not a tourist, according to TASS.

A two-day ban on swimming, snorkeling and other water activities went into effect in the area on Friday morning, according to a Facebook post by the Egyptian environment ministry. In a later statement, the ministry said the shark had been caught.

A horrifying video of the attack widely circulated in international media on Thursday and Friday.